Method of making shoes



March 24, 1936.

A. EPPLER 2,034,718

METHOD OF MAKING SHOES Fiied June 7, 1934 Patented Mar. 24, 1936 UNITED STAT METHOD OF MAKING SHOES Application June 7, 1934, Serial No. 729,429

Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in methods of making shoes and is illustrated herein with reference to shoes having outsole margins which lie close to the uppers in the shank portions of the shoes.

In one aspect the invention provides an improved method of making shoes having close fitting sole margins which consists in producing an outward hump or bulge in a sole prior to its attachment to a shoe, attaching the sole to a shoe, and thereafter depressing the bulge to Widen the sole and thereby facilitate laying the sole margin in close fitting relation to the shoe upper. As illustrated herein the bulge extends longitudinally of the intramarginal area of the shank portion of the sole so that the sole margins at this portion will not be displaced heightwise of the sole. The sole is then laid on the shoe bottom without depressing the bulge, the sole laying pressure being applied only to the margins of the sole at the shank portion thereby preserving the bulge. After the sole has been permanently secured to the shoe bottom the bulge is depressed, for example, by a leveling operation to widen the sole Widthwise of the shoe and thereby provide extra material which will facilitate the pressing of the margins into close fitting relation to the shoe upper, the margins at the shank portion of the sole being simultaneously pressed against the shoe upper to form a close fitting shank. The bulge is formed as illustrated herein bymolding the material of the sole rather than by stretching it so that the fibers of the material will not lose any of their original elasticity or be weakened by excessive stretching before the sole is attached to the shoe.

With the above and other objects in view the invention will now be described in connection with the accompanying drawing and thereafter pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing,

Figure 1 is a plan view of the outer surface of an outsole having a bulge formed therein;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line II-II of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view showing the outsole being laid on the bottom of a shoe;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing the outsole stitched to the shoe bottom; and

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional View showing the shoe bottom after a leveling operation has been performed thereon, the leveling roll being indicated in broken lines.

In practicing the method of the present invention an outsole l0, preferably of leather, is proformed before the outsole is laid on the bottom 1 0 of a shoe by molding the sole between a pair of suitable molds or dies so that the bulge will be created without stretching the fibers of the leather any appreciable amount, the sole being in a softened condition at the time the molding 1*5:

operation is performed. The molding of the bulge before the outsole is laid on a shoe bottom permits the bulge to be located in exactly the desired position widthwise and longitudinally of the sole and facilitates the formation of the bulge itself. Moreover, the size and location of the bulge can be readily varied in accordance with the particular type of the shoe to be made if the bulge is premolded before the outsole is attached to the bottom of a shoe.

The next step in the method is to lay the outsole It] on the bottom of a shoe without depressing the bulge l2 in the shank portion of the sole. Accordingly, the outsole i0 is coated on the margins of its inner face with an adhesive in the usual manner and is placed in proper position on the bottom of a shoe mounted on a last l6, the shoe being illustrated herein by way of example as a welt shoe and comprising an insole I 8, upper 20 and a Welt 22. The sole laying operation may be performed with the aid of a sole laying machine of any well-known type provided with a solid rubber pad for exerting pressure against the sole and shoe. In the present case, however, in order to avoid flattening the bulge I 2, the sole laying pad 24 shown in Fig. 3 is provided with a depression located in such a position that the bulge on the outsole will not be engaged by any portion of the pad during the sole-laying operation. Thus pressure is ap- 4.5 plied only to the sole margins M at the shank portion of the shoe to force these margins firmly against the shoe bottom. The sole-laying pressure at other portions of the shoe, for example, at the forepart and the heel portion, is applied fairly evenly across the shoe bottom since the pad 24 has not been altered at these portions.

The outsole if] having been laid in the manner described, the next step in the manufacture of the shoe is to attach the outsole permanently to the shoe bottom which, in the shoe illustrated herein, will consist in stitching the outsole to the welt 22 by stitches 28, this operation being performed in the usual and customary manner. It will be noted in Fig. 4 that the stitching operation has separated the welt and margins of the outsole from the shoe upper, this being necessary to permit the stitches 28 to be inserted through the welt and outsole without scarring the upper. It will also be noted in this figure that the location of the stitches and their angular relation to the outer face of the outsole are such as to have a tendency to prevent the sole margins and the welt from returning into and remaining permanently in close fitting relation to the upper.

In accordance with the present invention the desired permanent close fitting relation of the outsole margins to the shoe upper is facilitated by depressing or flattening out the bulge in the outsole and thereby widening the outsole without stretching it in such a manner that it will tend later to react and pull the sole margins away from the upper. As herein illustrated, flattening of the bulge is accomplished by a leveling operation which also presses the sole margins against the upper. 'The leveling operation is performed by a concave leveling roll adapted to contact with the greater part of the shank portion of the outsole so that as the bulge i2 is depressed by the leveling action of the roll, thereby widening the sole transversely of the shoe bottom, the margins H! of the sole will simultaneously be forced into close fitting relation to the shoe upper, as shown in Fig. 5, the leveling roll being shown in broken lines in this figure and being indicated by the numeral 38. The flattening of the bulge l2 provides extra material widthwise of the shoe which permits the margins of the sole at the shank portion to lie close to the shoe upper without any substantial stretching of the outsole, thereby effecting the desired results without setting up any lateral strains in the material which would tend subsequently to cause the margins to pull away from the shoe upper. The widening of the outsole It! also straightens the stitches 28, as shown in Fig. 4, and thus eliminates any strains set up by the stitches which would tend to pull the sole margins away from the upper.

Although the invention is illustrated herein with reference to the manufacture of welt shoes it should be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the manufacture of such shoes but may be used with beneficial results in the manufacture of other types of shoes, for example, in shoes having outsoles attached by cement.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. That improvement in methods of making shoes having close fitting sole margins which consists in forming a bulge in a sole prior to the mounting of the sole on a shoe bottom, permanently attaching the sole to the shoe without pressing against the bulge, thereby preserving the bulge in its original condition, and thereafter depressing the bulge and thereby widening the sole to facilitate laying the sole margins in permanent close fitting relation to the shoe upper.

2. That improvement in methods of making shoes having close fitting sole margins which consists in forming an outward bulge extending length wise of an outsole prior to the attachment of the outsole to a shoe bottom, laying the sole on the bottom of the shoe without pressing against the bulge, stitching the sole to the shoe bottom, and thereafter depressing the bulge to widen the sole transversely of the shoe and leveling the sole to force its margins into close fitting relation to the shoe upper, the widening of the sole permitting said margins to remain permanently in close fitting relation to the upper.

3. That improvement in methods of making shoes having close fittting sole margins which consists in molding a bulge longitudinally of the shank portion of an outsole prior to placing the outsole on .a shoe bottom, laying the sole on the bottom of the shoe without engaging said bulge so that the latter will be maintained at its full height, attaching the sole permanently to the shoe bottom, and thereafter depressing the bulge to Widen the shank portion of the sole while forcing the margins of said portion into close fitting relation to the shoe upper, the widening of the sole tending to cause said margins to remain permanently in close fitting relation to the upper.

4. That improvement in methods of making shoes having close fitting sole margins which consists in producing a longitudinal bulge in the intramarginal portion of .an outsole prior to the attachment of the outsole to a shoe without displacing the marginal portion of the outsole, laying the outsole on the shoe bottom by applying pressure to the marginal portion of the sole but none to its intra-marginal portion, thereby preserving the bulge in its original condition, attaching the sole to the shoe bottom, and then widening the sole by depressing the bulge while forcing the sole margins into close fitting relation to the shoe upper, the widening of the sole eliminating any tendency of the sole margins subsequently to pull away from the shoe upper,

5. That improvement in methods of making shoes having close fitting sole margins which consists in molding .an elongated bulge in an outsole without stretching said outsole prior to its being placed on a shoe bottom, said bulge being located centrally of the shank portion of the outsole and extending longitudinally thereof, laying the outsole on the shoe bottom by pressure applied only to the marginal portions of the outsole, thereby retaining the bulge and leaving an open space between the bulge and the shoe bottom into which the bulge may be depressed, attaching the outsole to the shoe bottom, and then widening the outsole to its original width by flattening the bulge in said space while simultaneously forcing the sole margins into close fitting relation to the shoe upper, the widening of the outsole without stretching eliminating any tendency of said margins subsequently to contract and pull away from the shoe upper.

ANDREW EPPLER. 

